Diocese of Chichester

As work progresses, the national network of Demonstrator Churches - representing many different types of community and situations - will share what they have learned more widely with dioceses and parishes so that all Church of England churches can learn from their experiences.

Abi Hiscock, Project and Grants Manager for the Church of England’s Net Zero Demonstrator Churches Project, said: “Ultimately, we want to demonstrate that with the right support and infrastructure, churches from diverse settings and facing a variety of challenges can reach net zero by 2030”.

“By the end of this project, we will have over 100 case studies on what to do and when, and what not to do. Along the way, the supported churches are all required to act as champions to other churches in their dioceses or geographically near to them, or simply to other churches working from similar baselines to them, so that the learnings from these projects engage, influence and support this vision.”

It is hoped the project will reduce carbon emissions by 6,615 tonnes by 2030.

The Demonstrator Churches project aims to equip, resource and support all parts of the Church to reduce carbon emissions from the energy used in its buildings, schools and through work-related transport by 2030.

The two churches in Sussex are St Peter & St Paul Church, Wadhurst, East Sussex and St Bartholomew’s in Brighton.

Fr Ben Eadon is the vicar at St Bartholomew’s and he said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this grant which gives us the opportunity to look realistically at how we can journey toward net zero at St Bartholomew’s and live more sustainably as a church community. 

“St Bartholomew’s is a large and lofty building and it is going to be an exciting project to see what we can achieve with expert help and advice. Without this support we would struggle to engage in any meaningful way to reduce our carbon emissions.”

Rev’d Dr Paul Ratcliff from Wadhurst said: “We are so excited to be part of this project and to become net Zero Carbon within the next two years.

“The £15,000 Stage 1 grant will be invested in accessing expert advice to design a heating system, using the best of modern technology to run on sustainable renewable energy. 

“Our historic Grade 1 listed church has served Wadhurst for over 900 years. We aim to ensure it continues to provide a warm welcome to all through to the year 3,000!”

The £5.2M Demonstrator Churches project from the Church of England’s Net Zero Programme aims to help 114 churches across the country in 2024 and 2025 pay for items such as solar panels, heat pumps, insulation, secondary glazing, LED lighting and infrared heating systems.

This initiative provides an excellent opportunity for these churches and the Diocese of Chichester to lead by example in environmental stewardship.

The project's learnings will benefit not only other churches but also the wider community in their efforts to combat climate change. For more information on the Church of England's Net Zero Programme and how local churches can get involved, visit: churchofengland.org/environment
Note to editors

In July 2022, General Synod approved a routemap for the Church of England to strive to reach net zero carbon by 2030.

£5.2 million has been allocated by the Church of England for the Demonstrator Churches project, with an additional £1.5 million grant from the grant-giving charity Benefact Trust which will help churches that apply for Stage 2 Capital Grant funding over the next two years.

Useful links:
• Routemap to Net Zero: RoutemapToNetZeroCarbonFinal.pdf (churchofengland.org)
• A guide to grants available: A short guide to grants and projects to help your church get to net zero | The Church of England
• Net Zero video https://youtu.be/lJRZ25lJF6I?si=Cjjsz7IMl6BYUoUm

Church of England Demonstrator church press release can be found here